Chapter 399 - 140: Sully Myself and Bide My Time? I Shall Become the Empress for the Ages

The three swords collided, and the Void between them was silently annihilated. A brilliant flash of light, like a firework, flickered and then vanished, immediately followed by an earth-shattering explosion.

For two swords to clash so fiercely with the Xia Yu Sword, they had to be extraordinary. They were called Bi and Yuan Tu. Of course, they were not the legendary swords of the same names, but the fact that they dared to bear them spoke to their own remarkable power.

To forge these two swords, the Blood Immortal Sect had once excavated a burial ground from the depths of ancient ruins. They had then used the Essence Blood of myriad spirits as a catalyst to create a Sword Nurturing Pool, into which they cast a million living corpses. The resentment and Evil Qi devoured and nurtured by the two swords was enough to overwhelm the heavens.

"Kill..."

In other directions, the fighting was just as brutal. Although the forces stationed at the other three Forbidden Halls knew a major battle was unfolding here, they could not immediately disengage to provide aid.

They had all received orders that the Forbidden Halls they guarded were the Blood Immortal Sect’s true targets. Thus, even knowing a battle was raging at Changsheng Hall, they dared not act rashly.

For this very reason, Emperor Xia’s brow was tightly furrowed. She had already sent orders for the generals guarding the other three Forbidden Halls to come, but for some reason, her messages had vanished without a trace.

Many of her confidants and subordinates were locked in brutal combat. Even her four personal handmaidens were wounded and covered in blood.

Emperor Xia was not slow to react. She now understood that there was indeed a traitor in her inner circle—a mole who knew her like the back of their hand. They knew the true location where the Dragon-Suppressing Seal was enshrined, which was why they had brought a Secret Treasure that could conceal heavenly secrets.

As long as she was within the confines of Changsheng Hall, it was impossible for her messages to get out. And without her explicit command, how would the forces in the other three Forbidden Halls dare to move?

At this point, seeing their window of opportunity had closed, the many experts from the Blood Immortal Sect who had infiltrated the palace began looking for a way to retreat.

Emperor Xia knew it would be difficult to stop them, so she did not order a pursuit. Chasing after them would only lead to pointless casualties.

Against those three who were on the verge of breaking into the Eighth Realm, sending more people would be useless. With a casual wave of their hands, Sixth Realm cultivators would cough up blood and explode, and even ordinary Seventh Realm experts would be severely injured.

In Ancient Times, the Eighth Realm Tribulation Bridge Realm was known as the realm of Great Powers. And what is a Great Power?

With every move, they command the power of heaven and earth. When they achieve a breakthrough, they must face the baptism of a Celestial Tribulation. Every step taken in the Tribulation Bridge Realm brings a world-altering change in strength.

To oppose such a being is like opposing the heavens themselves.

Such figures already stand at the absolute pinnacle of the Nine Provinces Land.

Without her status as the ruler of Great Xia, and without the many advantages she held within the Imperial Capital, it would only have been a matter of time before she fell to their combined assault.

After all, no matter how gifted she was, her youth was a limiting factor; her cultivation and strength were inferior to theirs.

’They knew my plan and used it to plot against me...’ Emperor Xia’s eyes were icy. She wished she could subject the traitorous mole to death by a thousand cuts.

Fortunately, she had diverted much of her power here at the very first moment, preventing the Blood Immortal Sect from stealing the National Treasure Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

But now, looking at the National Treasure stained with an uncanny, corrupting blood, she saw it was no longer as clear and pure as before.

She seethed with rage. The Blood Immortal Sect had failed to steal the Dragon-Suppressing Seal, but they had resorted to a vicious scheme, leaving defiling blood on its surface in an attempt to corrode the National Fortune of Great Xia. It was despicable to the extreme.

The simple and pure Dragon-Suppressing Seal hovered high in the depths of Changsheng Hall, bobbing gently as it shone with a brilliant silver light. Wisps of the Power of Destiny flowed from all directions to converge on its surface, making it look incredibly sacred. An inexplicable power circulated within it, as if the Sun, Moon, and stars themselves revolved around it.

But now, it was stained with specks of blood, a corrupting aura emanating from it...

Although Emperor Xia had been unable to gain its recognition, she could still call upon its power.

However, she would not use the Dragon-Suppressing Seal lightly. The moment she did, certain parties would discover the truth—that she had not earned its recognition.

Now, as she gazed upon the corroded and defiled Dragon-Suppressing Seal, her eyes grew so cold they could have cracked the Void.

"Your Majesty..."

"We were powerless to defend it. We await Your Majesty’s punishment."

Responsible for guarding this place, Xiao Ye and Xiao Wang—the two sons of Prince Zhenbei, Xiao River—arrived covered in blood, their hearts filled with absolute terror.

After such a brutal battle, destruction was everywhere. Some Array Patterns had even been completely obliterated, and the casualties were impossible to count.

Their own injuries were severe, and the armor they wore was shattered.

Emperor Xia’s cold eyes swept over them. She held back the words she wanted to say, merely waving her hand to dismiss them all.

If the three experts from the Blood Immortal Sect had split up, her plans would have worked without a hitch.

But as it turned out, the three of them had planned this in advance, coming straight for Changsheng Hall and completely ignoring the other three Forbidden Halls.

’The Imperial Clan Court...’

Emperor Xia’s eyes were as cold as ice. The old guard of the Imperial House—the Elder Imperial Uncles and clan elders from previous generations—were all in secluded cultivation within the Imperial Clan Court. Yet when such a major incident occurred, they did not react at all.

They were completely disregarding her as the emperor, not taking her seriously in the slightest.

Perhaps even if the National Treasure had been stolen, the Imperial Clan Court would not have intervened.

Their attitude didn’t break her heart; it only filled her with rage.

The Imperial Clan Court had been this way ever since she ascended the throne, so she was used to it. ’But to force me to abdicate, they’re willing to stand by and watch the Blood Immortal Sect defile the National Treasure without lifting a finger to help?’

’Is it just because I am a woman? Am I not fit to sit on this throne?’

’Heh. Well, I *will* secure my throne. I will become the greatest empress in history, my might shaking the Nine Provinces and spanning the cosmos...’

At that moment, as Emperor Xia’s thoughts and will transformed, her heart was suddenly filled with clarity and acceptance. She cast aside all her previous worries and anxieties, and her Spirit Platform achieved unprecedented clarity.

The National Treasure Dragon-Suppressing Seal, which had been hovering within Changsheng Hall, suddenly trembled. Its jade-like surface became completely translucent.

A lifelike, palm-sized golden True Dragon appeared within it, swimming and circling. Then, it began to erupt with a rosy, auspicious light that enveloped her.

She was surrounded by boundless radiance as an endless torrent of Dragon Energy erupted, blowing the roof clean off Changsheng Hall.

Glazed tiles came crashing down with a deafening clatter. The hall, which had remained intact even during the fierce battle just moments ago, was now shrouded in an endless sea of Dragon Energy.

Across the entire Imperial Capital, countless cultivators and living beings seemed to hear a heaven-shaking dragon’s roar echoing from the Imperial Palace.

The roar was like that of a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, its power shaking the world. An immense, boundless Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, dazzlingly brilliant, appeared and coiled above the depths of the palace.

Within the Imperial Palace, Emperor Xia’s crown fell away, and her jet-black hair cascaded to her shoulders. The exquisite human-skin mask she had worn for concealment dissolved, revealing a face of flawless, jade-like beauty. Her eyes, filled with flowing light, now shone with majestic imperial might.

She stood majestically, towering in the sky and looking down upon the world as if born to bear the destiny of heaven and earth. Endless Dragon Energy poured into her.

In the depths of the sky, dark clouds roiled as if a tribulation storm were brewing.

A Sovereign’s Dharma Aspect, vast enough to blot out the sun, materialized behind her. As the Dharma Aspect retracted, an invisible bridge seemed to form in the ether, connecting her Spirit Platform to her Sea of Consciousness.

"The Eighth Realm..." Countless onlookers were shaken to their core.